‘“Most of my goals have always been around the net or right in front there or off to the side, close to the paint,” Boyes said Wednesday inside the First Niagara Center after the Sabres prepared for tonight’s tilt against the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets. “I don’t tend to score a lot from the outside. It’s a matter to remind myself to go there and get those opportunities and look for those loose pucks.”’

‘Pominville said, “I started a little bit last year just practicing and taking more on my strong side which is the backhand side. This year it’s been more with Lukie coming in and I think he feels more comfortable taking the draws on his strong side and so far it’s been working pretty good.”’

‘”We started off with good energy, and they get it back in the game,” Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller said. “You can’t get rattled. It’s an entire night of hockey. Teams in the NHL are good. You can’t expect to shut them down every night.”‘

‘”It’s an honor to put on the Sabres’ jersey,” Ellis said. “I’ve thought about that each day that I’ve been here, being able to compete with the team and do my part. It’s a pretty exciting feeling even at this stage, a couple of hundred games deep.”‘

‘”I’ve always wanted to play every chance I got,” Boyes said in First Niagara Center. “My first year in junior [1998], I was 16 and scratched early in the season, a couple games in. I remember watching it and saying, ‘I never want to sit here and watch a game again.'”‘

‘“He doesn’t take a single second of practice for granted,” coach Lindy Ruff said Tuesday prior to Ellis’ season debut in the Sabres’ 4-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning at the First Niagara Center. “He is the consummate pro, from how hard he works, how hard he hard he trains and an unbelievable attitude. If you could take some of his attributes and if you could drop one or two on different players, it’d be a hell of player. It comes with the battle of him trying to stay in this league, too. It’s a determination that’s pretty impressive.”’